Ford board meeting ends with no new CEO news

DETROIT -- Ford's board of directors has ended a scheduled meeting with no announcement on the company's CEO succession plan.

There were rumors this week that the board was preparing to name a successor to 67-year-old CEO Alan Mulally.

But Ford spokesman Jay Cooney says there will be no announcement Thursday. The board will meet again next month.

Board members contacted by The Associated Press wouldn't comment on the meeting.

Mulally hasn't said when he plans to retire. When he does, Ford's Americas President Mark Fields is widely expected to get the CEO job. The 51-year-old Fields is a longtime Ford executive who helped lead Ford's recent restructuring.

Mulally's next public appearance is Tuesday, when he will introduce the new Fusion midsize sedan — a critical product — in New York.